Crash, oil spill shut down Stratford intersection

Wes Duplantier

Updated 8:37 pm, Saturday, March 29, 2014

Hazmat units were called to the scene of an overturned oil truck in Stratford Saturday afternoon.
Photo: David Adams

Hazmat units were called to the scene of an overturned oil truck in...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an intersection in northern Stratford, Conn. on Saturday March 29, 2014. No one was injured but 100 gallons of oil spilled and traffic was tied up for hours as rescue crews worked the scene.
Photo: Wes Duplantier, Connecticut Post

An oil truck that swerved to avoid another car overturned at an...

Hazmat units were called to the scene of an overturned oil truck in Stratford Saturday afternoon.
Photo: David Adams

Hazmat units were called to the scene of an overturned oil truck in...

STRATFORD -- An oil truck swerving to avoid another car on a rain-slicked road toppled sideways in the northern part of town Saturday afternoon, spilling about 100 gallons of diesel fuel and tying up traffic at a major intersection for more than three hours.

Dozens of emergency responders, including cleanup crews and hazmat teams for other towns, converged on the intersection of Broadbridge Avenue and Second Hill Lane after the truck overturned at about 12:30 p.m.

The truck belongs to Derby-based Winslow Oil, which sent two more large trucks to the scene to collect the product in the overturned rig. The driver of the truck said he was checked by emergency crews but was not injured. He declined to give his name.

"I just want to forget about this as soon as possible," he said as he surveyed the damaged truck.

The driver said he had been driving northbound on Broadbridge Avenue when he had to swerve to keep from hitting another car near the intersection with Second Hill Lane. He said he had almost recovered from the swerve when the weight of his load--more than 2,000 gallons of diesel oil--caused the truck to overturn.

The crash left skid marks in the grass near the intersection and appeared to damage a sign marking a Greater Bridgeport Transit bus stop.

There did not appear to be any other vehicles at the scene. The truck driver said the other car didn't stop.

Deputy Fire Chief Jon Gottfried said a weld on the truck sustained a hairline fracture in the rollover crash, releasing about 100 gallons of heating oil onto the street. Some of it got into nearby storm drains, but firefighters used sand and small booms to contain the oil until a contractor with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection could vacuum it up.

After the spilled oil was cleared, crews had to drill a hole in the side of the damaged tanker to pump out the hundreds of gallons of oil left on the damaged truck so it could be uprighted without the risk of a larger oil spill.

In addition to crews from Stratford and the state, a truck from Fairfield County Hazmat in Westport came to the scene with equipment to secure the leaking tanker.

Even though the spill drew a large response, Gottfried said that operation wasn't an unusual one for his department.

"This is pretty routine," he said. "We had a relief valve on a tanker fail about four months ago and dump the full contents of that on Pasadena Avenue. These transportation incidents are quite common."

The crash shut down Second Hill Lane after Ronald Road and the northbound side of Broadbridge Avenue was blocked at Sterling Place, sending many cars from the busy road onto quiet residential streets in the area.

Brian Duca lives near the scene of the accident and heard the wail of emergency sirens headed toward the scene. He was among a small group of people watching from a hillside as crews pumped the oil from the damaged truck into other rigs owned by Winslow Oil.

"I looked out my back door and saw the blinking lights," he said. "I looked a little closer and saw, `Fairfield County Hazmat.' Something had happened. Then I saw the oil tanker on its side and said `Oh boy, catastrophe time.' I just came out to see what was going on. Hopefully everyone is OK."

The accident remained under investigation late Saturday. An estimate of the damage caused by the crash was not available.